Wednesday, May 23, 2012

PSA: Local Flavour - Victoria 2012 is now available

After eight months of slowly chipping away at it, Local Flavour: Victoria 2012 has fully developed from an idea into the first eBook being available for purchase on your favourite digital device! I am so excited. Also slightly terrified... *grin*.

Along the way I discovered that other people are quite excited about this idea! I hope that you are, too.

If you are interested in checking out the first guide for yourself, the simplest way to find it is to go to the bookstore on your eReader, search for "Tastebud Guides" and purchase it on the device.

Alternately, you can click one of the links below to purchase and then transfer it to your device.

Super exciting things have been happening behind the scenes - some of which you may have had hints about if you follow either the blog or Tastebud Guides on Facebook & Twitter.

But here's a recap in a list form (because I like lists!)
  • Pitched the idea at the Awesome Shit Club and although I didn't get cash, I got:
    • Donation of an awesome launch party space from Temple via ASC founder Kris Constable
    • Support from networker & event planner extraordinare Christine Smart whose ideas and connections have been too numerous to list!
  • Talking to Colin of coffee.bc.ca about creating the 2nd Tastebud Guide about (what else?!) the fabulous coffee scene in Victoria (Super excited for this!).
  • Completed a crowdfunding campaign with more than a week to go, meaning the cost of becoming a member of Tourism Victoria and getting rack cards into the Tourist Information Booth are more than covered. Thank you everyone who contributed! You made me squeal with happiness each and every time!
  • Joined Tourism Victoria and:
    • Am making amazing connections through them.
    • Rack cards are now in the Tourism Info booth down in the harbour.
  • Hoping to be one of the Attractions Victoria "Ambassadors" this summer, using my quasi-encyclopaedic knowledge of the Victoria food scene to help connect people to restaurants.
  • Recorded a radio interview for Don Genova's All Points West segment which will likely air sometime in June.
  • Talking to local vendors about carrying prints of the beer poster.
Are you excited yet? I'm even more excited just writing all that! The little niggle of excitement in my stomach is threatening to become full fledged butterflies! 

People keep asking me if I'm excited about the part of it that means I'm a 'published author' now. Which I guess is exciting... but to be honest, that part didn't really occur to me until my partner-in-food-and-life brought me home some flowers and said "Congratulations on becoming an author!" Oh yeah! That is pretty exciting...!

But what I am really excited about is the potential for this "Tastebud Guides" platform to grow beyond just me, just one kind of guide, and beyond just Victoria. But... that's the big picture! I need to keep reminding myself that part is going to take some time.

If you are interested in learning about more about Tastebud Guides make sure to follow on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up to stay in contact on the website